A study from the University of Essex involving 20 Tottenham Hotspur academy players, aged 14-15, showed that specific verbal cues can instantly enhance athletic performance and improve sprint times. Moran and researchers found that young soccer players run faster when focusing on their environment, rather than their body. While simple analogies worked to speed up sprints by 3 percent over 65 feet. Focusing on external cues, such as 'push the ground away' or 'sprint as if you are a jet taking off', led to better results than internal cues. The method sped up sprints by 3 per cent over a distance of 65 feet, an improvement typically requiring weeks of targeted training. Researchers suggest that using simple, evocative analogies can help coaches and parents maximise performance in young athletes across various sports.